Zendaya starrer Challengers won't premiere at Venice Film Festival, gets new release date

The on-going twin strikes in Hollywood have had a major impact on the showbiz industry. From actors not being able to promote their work to premieres getting canceled,the effects are there for all to see. And now the Zendaya starrer Challengers too has hit a roadblock because of the current situation. 

3 things you need to know:

• After the writers, the actors too went on a strike from July 14, 2023. 
• Challengers is an upcoming romantic sports drama.
• The film was supposed to release on September 15, 2023.

Zendaya, others won't be able to promote Challengers due to strike 

Challengers, which was slated to release on September 15, has now been pushed to April 26, 2024. The decision was taken due to the ongoing actors' strike. The studio decided to wait out the strike as Zendaya and co-stars Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist will be unable to promote the movie at press junkets, or on social media owing to restrictions related to the SAG-AFTRA strike. With this, the film also won’t be able to be launched at the Venice Film Festival on August 30. 

(Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist in Challengers trailer | Image: Youtube)

An MGM/Amazon Studios spokesperson told Vanity Fair in a statement, “After thoughtful consideration and given the parameters that SAG-AFTRA has outlined for its membership, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw Challengers from this year’s Venice International Film Festival. We look forward to celebrating the film when we can do so with our ensemble cast, director Luca Guadagnino, and the filmmaking team at a later date.”

What is the plotline of Challengers? 

Challengers features Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, the wife of a well-known tennis player Art (Mike Faist). Meanwhile, Patrick (Josh O'Connor) is a tennis pro who used to hang out with Tashi and Art when they were younger. When he enters their lives again, things start getting tricky for everyone. As time goes on, situations change since the three now have to make difficult choices as adults.

Produced by Amy Pascal, Guadagnino, Zendaya, and Rachel O'Connor, Challengers has been written by Justin Kuritzkes. The film will now make its theatrical debut next year.